Renaming
43 pieces
On Naming It Right The First Time
Changing names is tricky. At the very least, a name change is going to leave you changing signage and ordering some new business cards; often it implies an entirely new direction for your company. We’ll be honest: name changes are a big part of our business. It’s relatively rare that someone gets it right the
Don’t Call It Anything: House Bills and Hurricanes
Even without Katrina and Audrey, hurricanes with female names are twice as deadly as their masculine counterparts, according to a recent study. The theory: potential victims aren’t as threatened by feminine-sounding storms, don’t prepare as diligently, and suffer the consequences. If a clearer case for the power of the name exists, we’ve yet to hear
The NFL Wouldn’t Rename the Redskins, So We Did
Does your name offend a substantial number of human beings? Is it an outdated, horrible slang term from the early 19th century? Is it possibly illegal? Does it, by its very nature, reduce that same group of people to a skin tone? If so, you might be in the market for a name change! Yes,
The Difficulties of Brand Building Online
These days, a strong online presence is essential to establishing any kind of successful brand. Whether you’re starting a fresh new business venture or rebranding a company that for whatever reason needs an image makeover, brand building online is hard work and doesn’t happen overnight. There are many elements to brand building online, ranging from
Rebranding: Companies that Succeeded
There are many things to consider when rebranding companies. A rebrand might simply consist of a new logo, or even just updated colors. Or it could be a new company name and an entire visual makeover. Truly successful rebranding means understanding your company’s situation well enough to judge what level of rebranding is right for
Should you rename your business? Check our flow chart
Deciding to rename your business is a pretty big decision. Do you have too much brand equity? Too many stakeholders? Does your name connect with your audience? Can it? So we created this flow chart to help you sort through the key issues in renaming a business. If you run into any snags, we’re here
Girls: the best reality show on television.
The phrase “Reality TV” is up there with the most misused phrases in the English language. What part of Reality TV is reality, exactly? Is it the Immunity Idols? Eight person communes designed for conflict by psychologists? Makeup-caked housewives yanking each other’s extensions for screen time? If this is reality, kill me now. Thankfully (and
Sara Lee wants more meat
Sara Lee is trading in her bag of flour for a bottle of barbecue sauce. The company — once known for its homely breads and microwaveable cheesecakes — announced today that it is changing its name to Hillshire Brands Co., part of a larger move toward its Hillshire Farms brand of hotdogs, sausages and packaged
IKEA gets tongue-tied in Thailand
Do you speak Thai? What about Swedish? If you answered yes to both, IKEA could really use your help. The ready-to-assemble furniture and meatball maker, famous as much for its snap-together chairs and bookshelves as it is for its unique naming strategy, has its hands full translating its bizarre product names into foreign languages without
Name dropping leaves Google in hot water with Iran
Somewhere along the way, Google isn’t sure exactly when, the Persian Gulf became the world’s most important body of water without a name. A Google spokesman says it dropped “Persian Gulf” because, you know, in the world of geography things are always changing. Iran is not taking kindly to this disappearing act, calling it a
Ten years after 9/11, what do we call Ground Zero?
A visitor to Lower Manhattan today has to admit: New York City looks a whole lot different than it did on September 12, 2001. Emerging from what used to be the rubble of America’s most disastrous terrorist attack are the blossoms of a new World Trade Center, a complex comprised of six gleaming new towers,
Bye Bye Birdie: golf’s Bob Hope Classic is no more
For Bob Hope, golf was always a funny game. The comedian himself once said that he could easily give it up … if only he didn’t have so many sweaters. Now, eight years after his death, Hope’s eponymous tournament is at last changing its wardrobe — the Bob Hope Golf Classic will now be known
Winnipeg wins a hockey team. But do fans want the Jets back?
The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks may be the ones battling it out for the Stanley Cup this week, but Winnipeg is stealing the spotlight. The city’s legions of hoser hockey fans are celebrating after the Atlanta Thrashers announced they will be headed for the Great White North. So what will they be called? From
Anthropologie’s naming scheme to make you wear paisley and take your money.
Anthropologie is a great store. Nothing makes me want to spend 300 bucks on a tank top like seeing them nestled in the mouth of some giant papier-mâché narwhal suspended from the ceiling by human hair crochet. And usually I end up buying some getup that could really only be worn well while canoeing in
Hungary gives Elvis Presley a piece of budapest
Elvis Presley is the new king of Hungary, and I’m not talking about his royal appetite for peanut butter-banana-bacon sandwiches. Elvis is set to be honored in the Central European country, which will make the rocker with the blue suede shoes an honorary citizen and rename one of 12 super-special locations after him. Residents of
“Captain America Who?” the shielded one gets a name change in Russia
Captain America? More like Captain Planet. The comic book golden boy, the tireless defender of freedom and patriotism and cool fighting skills, can bring down the Third Reich with a twitch of his shield. Yet somehow he’s no match for an international marketing blitz. Apparently some of the Cap’s international audiences have forced him to
Unsightly Staines? U.K. Town Needs an Ali G Remover
The British town of Staines has a problem with its name. But it’s not quite what you would expect. About 15 miles southwest of London, on the banks of the river Thames, lies a place that sounds like it manufactures soiled britches. But the funny thing about the people of Staines is that they’re actually
Scotland Yard’s Vice Squad Succumbs to the PC Police
by Jeffery Racheff London’s Vice Squad is starting to sound more like the Nice Squad. The special Scotland Yard division tasked with battling prostitution and various underworld activities in the Greater London area will now officially be called Serious Crime Directorate 9: Human Exploitation and Organized Crime Command, or SCD9 for short. And
The Hard Rock Hotel, Den of Evil
by Jeffery Racheff Imagine this scenario: It’s family dinner night, and you and the hubby and the kids decide to go out for a nice wholesome meal at the Hard Rock Cafe. But as you step through the shiny big doors, instead of classic guitar solos and famous leather jackets, you’re greeted by half-naked women, drug-dealers
Let’s All Go to The United States… of Mexico?
by Jeffery Racheff Mexico is not who you think it is. For the last 185 years, our neighbor to the south has been posing under a pseudonym. Despite what Americans (and many Mexicans) have long taken for granted, the country’s formal name is not Mexico — it’s The United States of Mexico. Strange, right? Well,
Crashing the World’s Biggest Wine and Cheese Party
by Jeffery Racheff Cheese-makers, prepare to curd your enthusiasm. The European Union is cracking down on producers who name their products after places of geographical significance — Camembert, Champagne, etcetera, in an effort to pasteurize fakers and keep the famous brands solely within the continent. Basically, if your Burgundy isn’t flying a French flag, the EU
Jennifer Aniston: victim of a classic ‘Baste & Switch’
by Jeff Racheff There are innumerable reasons why a movie might bomb in Hollywood today. Maybe the studio forgot to promote it. Maybe what started out as a family film scared away audiences after it received an NC-17 rating. Or maybe it just had a forgettable name. Take The Switch for example. Jennifer Aniston’s latest
Ameriie Has a Vowel Movement
by Jeffery Racheff Rock ‘n’ roll takes no prisoners. Especially with those who have terrible names. This is typically a lesson learned the hard way. The perfect band name you came up with over the course of a week-long drug and booze binge might not fare so well in the long-run. So what does an artist
New name for PSYOPS messes with your head
By Jeff Racheff America’s mind warriors are facing a brain-bending name change. The U.S. Department of Defense announced last month it is considering swapping PSYOPS, the name for the military branch in charge of psychological warfare, for MISO (Military Intelligence Services and Operation) after concerns the former name carries negative connotations. Senior officials in the
Pork: formerly known as the other white meat
by Jeffery Racheff Get ready for a whole new shade of lipstick on your honey baked ham. The National Pork Board (yes, it really exists) announced this week that it will be dropping the iconic slogan “Pork. The Other White Meat” as part of a new effort to revamp the meat’s image. Known officially as
Cougar Town: so much more than just sex-crazed women
by Jeffery Racheff Cougar Town is on the prowl for a new name. After a dramatic 180-degree turn midway through its first season, producers of the hit ABC sitcom starring Courteney Cox are looking to change the show’s title because the old one doesn’t quite represent it anymore. The show follows a recent divorcee named
A tale of two Vancouvers
by Jeffery Racheff As far as most of the world is concerned, there is only one Vancouver. It’s in British Columbia, it hosted this year’s Winter Olympics, and it’s Canada’s third largest city. But hold on to your maps — another Vancouver exists. Just 300 miles to the south, making up the second half of
Maalox Total Relief: works so well it will make you sick
By Jeffery Racheff If there’s one place you don’t want to confuse names, it’s probably in the world of medicine and drugs. Take Maalox Total Relief for instance. Folks looking for deliverance from diarrhea flocked to the over-the-counter medicine, assuming it would alleviate their belly pains. Instead they found themselves much worse off. What they
I want my MTV… without the "music television"
by Jeffery Racheff Video killed the radio star, and now MTV has killed the video. After an increasing amount of programming dedicated to all things reality, the cable giant has officially struck the tag “music television” from its logo. It will now make its mark with an expanded, transparent “M” (presumably one in which the
I’ve never seen a cardinal in Arizona
by Barry Silverstein The Super Bowl got us thinking about sports team names. Some professional sports team names really work – like the New Orleans Saints. After all, with the city’s connection to jazz and the immortal tune, “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the name is a great fit. The New England Patriots –
Is XFINITY an infinitely bad name–how much time do you have?
by Danny Altman I will give you a four hour window to consider Comcast’s new name for its triple play service. In the first hour, after you wash the dishes and clean out the cat litter, you can ponder why big companies waste their money doing superficial rebrands while their real problems lie untouched. In
Buffalo’s Peace Bridge ponders selling its soul to PETA
by Jeffery Racheff Desperate times call for desperate measures. At least that may be the case in Buffalo, New York, where the city’s Department of Transportation is looking for a way to come up with the necessary funds required to fix a bridge. A state audit has concluded the Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo with
Annals of naming: Charmin becomes Cushelle
by Danny Altman Like the U.S., Europe is dominated by a few brands of toilet paper–Lotus, Scottex, Cottonelle. And if Swedish giant SCA gets its way, Cushelle (you know it as Charmin) will soon be one of them. SCA is pouring 11 million euros into a rebranding campaign to make Cushelle the roll to beat….
A lasting memorial to… you
by Barry Silverstein A few weeks ago, the world’s tallest skyscraper, Burj Dubai was renamed Burj Khalia (Khalia Tower). Khalia, you see, is Sheikh Khalia Bin Zayed Al Nahyan – the guy who pumped $10 billion into Dubai to keep it from bankruptcy. Khalia is president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu
A Hundred Monkeys prevails in trademark infringement case
by Danny Altman A few months back we were featured in an AP wire story that appeared in 200 papers across the country. It must have been a slow news day. And the headline (“Monkey See, Monkey Sue”) probably didn’t hurt. The AP reported that we had filed a complaint for trademark infringement in the
G, is this a branding strategy?
by Barry Silverstein As a brand category leader, you should be inspirational, innovative, and ahead of the pack. That’s why it’s disappointing to see a leader like Gatorade being a follower. At one time, Gatorade was unique. In the 1960s, a football coach at the University of Florida asked some university physicians if they could
On the warpath with Native American mascots
by Jeffery Racheff Neon headdresses. Gleaming tomahawk axes. Half-naked men covered in war paint – these are not the sights of a Native American war dance. No, they’re staples of American sporting events. Indian images, mascots and logos are ubiquitous at football and baseball games, and there are countless teams throughout the country that use
Best Western, Worst Western
by Mars Riley Best Western has an identity problem that has been 60 years in the making. Simply put, each of their hotels is an independently owned and operated franchise—each one unique. Considering they have 4,000 hotels in 80 countries, that may be too much uniqueness. It is impossible to predict what
Honoring Michael Jackson with a subway station? Not a ‘Bad’ idea
by Jeffery Racheff Two months after the iconic singer’s tragic death, the party celebrating Michael Jackson rages on. Fans are crafting homemade “Thriller” dance videos, major studios are planning films of unreleased concert footage, and cities are staging day-long Jackson-themed jubilations. In Malaysia, they even have Michael Jackson tigers. So if there ever was a
Update: The Shack speaks
On Monday we posted an article about RadioShack which recently nicknamed itself The Shack. After a pretty sizable media/blog backlash, The Shack felt the need to defend its actions… From AdAge: “In an interview with Ad Age, Chief Marketing Officer Lee Applbaum downplayed criticisms of the nickname. He pointed out that consumers and media are
The Shack goes the way of The Hut
So while Pizza Hut is starting to call themselves The Hut, Radio Shack is now toying with the idea of The Shack. Is it just me, or is this slowly starting to spiral out of control? Let’s take bets on when Burger King becomes The King, Wal-Mart becomes The Mart and Safeway and Subway are
Rhode Island threatens to change its name.
by Danny Altman, on location in New England There are very few people outside of the state commonly known as Rhode Island who know that the state’s real name for the last 372 years has been Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. For the past few years, there has been a movement afoot in Rhode Island
Naming the pandemic: the plot thickens
Yesterday we suggested that the “swine flu” was not properly named. Well it seems that a lot of experts agree with us but they don’t necessarily agree with each other. In a New York Times story headlined “The Naming of Swine Flu, a Curious Matter” it turns out that we were correct that this is